Sequel: Hearts So Pure ›
A New Beginning
Sixteen
Me and Garrett said bye to everyone, and we drove off in his car. He stopped in front of my house. “So?” he said. “What?” I said, knowing exactly what he was talking about. “Are you gonna stay with me tonight?” he said, and it was almost a whisper. I wanted to so badly, and his voice made me want to do it even more. “Garrett,” I said. “You know my Dad’s still mad and-” “Yeah okay. Well, next time then.” he said. I nodded, and got out of the car and walked up to my house.
The next morning was same as always. Same boring classes. Lunch was also pretty routine- except for one thing. When we got to John’s, he was holding hands with Nicole, trying to show her a song on the guitar. I had to admit, it was really cute. They were laughing and whispering and honestly, I was a tiny bit jealous. Not of her, but of them. I was lucky if Garrett even held my hand around other people. “John, can we start now?” Garrett said in an angry tone. I could tell Nicole was embarrassed, she pulled away from John and soon they started playing. She came over and sat next to me. I had already eaten a pizza on the drive from school, so I was busy taking out my homework for third period. It was calculus-easily the worst thing that ever happened to me- and Nicole seemed to recognize what it was. “Oh hey, you’re doing calculus?” she said. I gave her a half-smile. “Yeah,” I said. “But I’m not really getting anywhere. Sort of just writing down whats on the board,” and we both laughed. “Maybe I can help?” she said, with a big smile on her face. I nodded, hoping she actually knew what she was doing, and that began my lunch, getting tutored in calculus by Nicole while the boys practiced in the background.
Forty five minutes later, Nicole had taught me all about rational functions, and we exchanged numbers, agreeing to hang out sometime. Then lunch was over, and me, Garrett, and Pat headed back to school. On the ride over, Garrett seemed a little quiet, so I reached for his hand while we both sat in the backseat.
He pulled away, tucking his hands under his armpits. I scooted closer to him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Are you alright?” I said. He shrugged me off and said, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Obviously, he wasn’t. I tried one last time, attempting to pull his hand towards me, but he jerked backwards. “Leah, stop!” he said. Pat turned around from the driver’s seat. He looked worried. Immediately I scooted back to the other side of the seat, and we spent the drive in silence.
When I got home, I had a lot to think about. Well, not really, but more than usual. First off, I was glad to have finally made a friend that wasn’t pumped full of testosterone, and second off, I was worried about Garrett. I hadn’t even done anything to him. Just last night he was kissing me in John’s driveway! I didn’t know what to do, usually I would just call one of my girl friends and we’d spend hours talking about boys, but this was still a new town, and I didn’t have many of these “girl friends.” I guessed I’d better text Nicole. It was a long shot, but hey, I had to start somewhere right?
An hour and two coffees later, Nicole and I sat at the coffee shop down my street. “Wait, so are you sure you didn’t do anything? You didn’t say anything that could have been taken the wrong way?” She said to me, sipping her coffee. I sighed, looking out the window to the busy road in front of it. “I’m pretty sure… he got like this out of nowhere.” I said. We had been talking for a while, and I told Nicole everything that happened with me and him. She, in turn, told me about John. She had moved here a couple weeks before I did, and liked John from the second she saw him. “I remember thinking, I had to have that boy!” she told me. She tried really hard not to make it obvious how much she liked him, and I’m guessing John hadn’t even guessed she was interested until a couple days ago. “So we’ve been hanging out,” she told me, and I knew what that meant. Not sex or anything, but I knew it definitely wasn’t guitar lessons. But anyway, back to the present. I took another sip of my coffee and let out a deep sigh. Nicole sighed back, “Listen,” she said. “I gotta meet John in a little. He’s teaching me a couple songs on the guitar. But just talk to him, yeah? I’m sure it’s not a big deal, so don’t worry.” She patted my hand and walked out. I watched her walk out the window. “He’s teaching me a couple songs,” rang in my head and I couldn’t help but smile, even if I was worried about Garrett.
Instead of going home, I went straight to Garrett’s. He answered the door when I knocked, and invited me to his room. He had been playing Rock Band when I knocked, and I got to watch him finish the rest of the song he was playing. He looked so cute playing it, his head bobbing and his hair moving too. He stuck his tongue out just a little, in concentration. When the song was over, he turned to me. “Aw, I sucked, huh?” He said. “Fuck no!” I said back, and he rushed over to me, where I was sitting on his bed. He sat next to me, and he pulled me closer to him by grabbing my hips. I closed my eyes, and soon I felt those soft, familiar kisses. “Wait,” I said. “We need to talk.” Garrett sighed. “Garrett,” I said. “What’s been going on? Why were you acting like a total douche bag today?” Garrett licked his lips, “I’m sorry, Leah.” he said. “I was just in a bad mood-you know. I was thinking about Brandon and all the stuff he’s putting us- and you- through and I got a little pissed off. But it’s okay now. I’m okay. We’re okay.” And with that, he pulled me close again, and kissed a line from my collar bone to my jaw, and to my lips. It tickled a little, and as I let out a small laugh he kissed me again right on the lips. Every second we spent together was intoxicating. Unable to stay still, my hand found its way to his neck, and soon I felt his hands traveling up my stomach, pulling off my shirt.
Later that night, when I got home, I checked my phone. I had a text from Nicole. “So much to tell you!!” she wrote. I smiled. Today had turned out a little better than I expected, and something told me the same went for Nicole.
The next morning was same as always. Same boring classes. Lunch was also pretty routine- except for one thing. When we got to John’s, he was holding hands with Nicole, trying to show her a song on the guitar. I had to admit, it was really cute. They were laughing and whispering and honestly, I was a tiny bit jealous. Not of her, but of them. I was lucky if Garrett even held my hand around other people. “John, can we start now?” Garrett said in an angry tone. I could tell Nicole was embarrassed, she pulled away from John and soon they started playing. She came over and sat next to me. I had already eaten a pizza on the drive from school, so I was busy taking out my homework for third period. It was calculus-easily the worst thing that ever happened to me- and Nicole seemed to recognize what it was. “Oh hey, you’re doing calculus?” she said. I gave her a half-smile. “Yeah,” I said. “But I’m not really getting anywhere. Sort of just writing down whats on the board,” and we both laughed. “Maybe I can help?” she said, with a big smile on her face. I nodded, hoping she actually knew what she was doing, and that began my lunch, getting tutored in calculus by Nicole while the boys practiced in the background.
Forty five minutes later, Nicole had taught me all about rational functions, and we exchanged numbers, agreeing to hang out sometime. Then lunch was over, and me, Garrett, and Pat headed back to school. On the ride over, Garrett seemed a little quiet, so I reached for his hand while we both sat in the backseat.
He pulled away, tucking his hands under his armpits. I scooted closer to him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Are you alright?” I said. He shrugged me off and said, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Obviously, he wasn’t. I tried one last time, attempting to pull his hand towards me, but he jerked backwards. “Leah, stop!” he said. Pat turned around from the driver’s seat. He looked worried. Immediately I scooted back to the other side of the seat, and we spent the drive in silence.
When I got home, I had a lot to think about. Well, not really, but more than usual. First off, I was glad to have finally made a friend that wasn’t pumped full of testosterone, and second off, I was worried about Garrett. I hadn’t even done anything to him. Just last night he was kissing me in John’s driveway! I didn’t know what to do, usually I would just call one of my girl friends and we’d spend hours talking about boys, but this was still a new town, and I didn’t have many of these “girl friends.” I guessed I’d better text Nicole. It was a long shot, but hey, I had to start somewhere right?
An hour and two coffees later, Nicole and I sat at the coffee shop down my street. “Wait, so are you sure you didn’t do anything? You didn’t say anything that could have been taken the wrong way?” She said to me, sipping her coffee. I sighed, looking out the window to the busy road in front of it. “I’m pretty sure… he got like this out of nowhere.” I said. We had been talking for a while, and I told Nicole everything that happened with me and him. She, in turn, told me about John. She had moved here a couple weeks before I did, and liked John from the second she saw him. “I remember thinking, I had to have that boy!” she told me. She tried really hard not to make it obvious how much she liked him, and I’m guessing John hadn’t even guessed she was interested until a couple days ago. “So we’ve been hanging out,” she told me, and I knew what that meant. Not sex or anything, but I knew it definitely wasn’t guitar lessons. But anyway, back to the present. I took another sip of my coffee and let out a deep sigh. Nicole sighed back, “Listen,” she said. “I gotta meet John in a little. He’s teaching me a couple songs on the guitar. But just talk to him, yeah? I’m sure it’s not a big deal, so don’t worry.” She patted my hand and walked out. I watched her walk out the window. “He’s teaching me a couple songs,” rang in my head and I couldn’t help but smile, even if I was worried about Garrett.
Instead of going home, I went straight to Garrett’s. He answered the door when I knocked, and invited me to his room. He had been playing Rock Band when I knocked, and I got to watch him finish the rest of the song he was playing. He looked so cute playing it, his head bobbing and his hair moving too. He stuck his tongue out just a little, in concentration. When the song was over, he turned to me. “Aw, I sucked, huh?” He said. “Fuck no!” I said back, and he rushed over to me, where I was sitting on his bed. He sat next to me, and he pulled me closer to him by grabbing my hips. I closed my eyes, and soon I felt those soft, familiar kisses. “Wait,” I said. “We need to talk.” Garrett sighed. “Garrett,” I said. “What’s been going on? Why were you acting like a total douche bag today?” Garrett licked his lips, “I’m sorry, Leah.” he said. “I was just in a bad mood-you know. I was thinking about Brandon and all the stuff he’s putting us- and you- through and I got a little pissed off. But it’s okay now. I’m okay. We’re okay.” And with that, he pulled me close again, and kissed a line from my collar bone to my jaw, and to my lips. It tickled a little, and as I let out a small laugh he kissed me again right on the lips. Every second we spent together was intoxicating. Unable to stay still, my hand found its way to his neck, and soon I felt his hands traveling up my stomach, pulling off my shirt.
Later that night, when I got home, I checked my phone. I had a text from Nicole. “So much to tell you!!” she wrote. I smiled. Today had turned out a little better than I expected, and something told me the same went for Nicole.